Stories: Auron and Tidus
by Empress-Eerian-Sadow
Summary: Final Fantasy X from Auron's and Tidus's POV. Begins ten years before the game and runs all the way through. Rating high because I'm just not sure where the story will go when i'm done. also rated for mentions of substance abuse by minors. on hold
1. Chapter 1: Encounter at Macelania

DISCLAIMER: Sadly, I do not own FFX, FFX-2, any Final Fantasy game, or any of   
  
the characters therein. Much as I'd like to. I do, however own this story and   
  
any origonal characters that I put there. Stealing them will make me unhappy. If   
  
you'd like to post this or any of my stories on your site, tho, drop me a line   
  
and ask permission.   
  
I'd stopped for the night at the Travel Agency at Macelania, when Kinoc   
  
finally caught up with me. Not that I'd known that he was even following me. But   
  
I'd just been paying for a room when I heard him call my name.  
  
"Auron!" I turned to see his smiling face. "It really is you. I thought   
  
you were dead."  
  
_ I am. But I'm not going to tell you that._ "You seem to have been   
  
misinformed."  
  
"It would seem so. By Yevon, I'm glad to see you."  
  
He followed me back to my room. "What happened to you? You look   
  
terrible."  
  
"The pilgrimage happened to me, Kinoc. I really don't want to talk about   
  
it"  
  
"Fair enough, I suppose. Braska did die, after all."  
  
"Lord Braska."  
  
"Of course. My apologies. Talk in Bevelle is that they may not make him   
  
High Summoner because of his wife. Are you going to plead his case?"  
  
_Not make him High Summoner? What are the priests in Bevelle thinking?_   
  
"What the priests in Bevelle do now is not my concern. My part in their travesty   
  
is over."  
  
It wasn't--not yet anyway--but my old friend didn't need to know that.  
  
We stood there in silence for several long moments. Finally he broke the   
  
silence. "Can I buy you dinner?"  
  
"Not tonight, Kinoc. I just want to rest now." It was true enough.  
  
"I'll see you in the morning then. Goodnight, Auron."  
  
"Goodnight, Kinoc." I closed the room's door behind him.  
  
Wearily, I draped my coat over the room's lone chair, and leaned my   
  
sword against the wall. With a relieved sigh I lay down on the bed.  
  
"Jecht," I whispered to myself. "What you've asked may be too much."  
  
I let myself drift off to sleep.  
  
The next morning, I woke early, and had the public bathing room to   
  
myself. As I bathed, shaved and dressed, I reflected on how Kinoc and I had   
  
changed since I turned down the priest's daughter. Or, more accurately, how I   
  
had changed and he had not. When we had both been in training as warrior monks,   
  
and later after attaining our ranks, we had dreamed of being Maesters of Yevon.   
  
We would take the faith to the heathen Al-Bhed. We were going to unify Spira and   
  
bring peace to all the races.  
  
We were fools. One need only live in the temples of Bevelle to have seen   
  
the hypocrisy of the priests and maesters. To see that our religion--our entire   
  
way of life--was a cleverly woven lie.  
  
I did not look forward to a meal with my still ignorant friend. My lack   
  
of faith would disturb him, as his lack of knowledge did me.  
  
It felt like my spending time with him was almost a betrayal of Braska's   
  
memory. And yet, I would do it anyway. I was not yet ready to let go of this   
  
last friend.  
  
The day did not go as badly as I had imagined. In fact, it was much like   
  
old times, without talk of Braska or his pilgrimage. It was very relaxed, and   
  
for that I was grateful.  
  
I didn't know how many more relaxing days I would get.  
  
That night, after dinner, Kinoc bought us a round of drinks. I think he   
  
was hoping it would loosen me up enough to talk about the pilgrimage. It failed   
  
miserably, but I don't suppose I blame him for trying.  
  
We sat in a companionable silence for awhile--two glasses of ale for him   
  
and one for me--before he spoke. "What was it like? The pilgrimage?"  
  
I sighed. I'd known it was coming. "It was hell."  
  
"That's it? No grand stories about your journey? No sage advice or great   
  
wisdom?"  
  
I stood and slapped my palms into the table top. "Is that what you want?   
  
Some life lesson? Fine. Here's something they don't tell you about life.  
  
"You will make friends that become so close they are family. You will   
  
laugh with them, cry with them, heal with them. You will love them more than   
  
anything else.  
  
"And then you will watch them suffer and die and be powerless to stop   
  
it."  
  
He couldn't have looked more surprised if I had struck him. He wasn't   
  
expecting something like that little speech. I don't think I was supposed to   
  
have gotten so pessimistic. His old friend wasn't supposed to have changed like   
  
that.  
  
That would have been wonderful.  
  
"Auron," he looked pleading now. "Please, sit back down."  
  
I shook my head. "I can't. I have an appointment to keep. Thank you for   
  
the drink." I turned and walked to the door.  
  
"Auron!" I turned back. "When will you be back?"  
  
"I doubt it will be any time soon. Good luck my friend." I left the   
  
dining room before he could question me further. 


	2. Chapter 2: To Zanarkand

Author's Note: First off, I hope my first chapter intrigued you. It was a bit of   
  
inspiration I had one day at work as I was playing FF8. Dunno where the   
  
association came from, but there it was. Second, I want to apologize in advance   
  
for the shortness of chapter two. I have Boy Scouts tonight with my brother and   
  
don't have time for much more than this. But there will be more after the   
  
meeting, I promise.  
  
MORE DISCLAIER: I don't own FFX, FFX-2, the above mentioned FF8, any of   
  
the characters therein, dialogue taken from the game, or much of anything else   
  
that would make me money. I do own THIS STORY (except for the parts I copy from   
  
the game, which will be noted) and any origonal characters I may create for it.   
  
If you'd like to post it on your site, please drop me a line and ask   
  
permission.Eerian  
  
The wind outside is cold and bites into my face as I stare out at Lake   
  
Macelania. I'm still getting used to only having one eye, although I don't have   
  
much more time to adjust. I think about Kinoc's pressuring to get me to talk   
  
about the pilgrimage and I find myself growing angry. Braska had died and   
  
defeated Sin.   
  
_Isn't that enough?_

_  
_I find myself saying a silent goodbye to this place, as I know Braska did while   
  
we were here. Silent--like so many things in Spira. My throat tightens as I   
  
stare across the lake at the temple, remembering its part in the murder of my   
  
friends. But I turn away before the tears come.  
  
The woods loom welcomingly beyond the lake. I turn towards them and   
  
begin to trek across the snow to its embrace, thinking that I may never see this   
  
place again.  
  
Jecht is Sin now. And Sin is waiting for me in Zanarkand.  
  


* * *

It took me nearly a day to make my way from the lake to Mt. Gagazet.   
  
Good time really, although it will take me another day to climb to the peak of   
  
the mountain. By the time I get there, I will be a day late to my meeting with   
  
Jecht. But there is nothing to be done about it.  
  
After a brief rest, I resume my journey to the city of the dead.   
  
I find it to be a fitting destination.  
  
As I stare out toward Zanarkand from my perch on the summit of Mt.   
  
Gagazet, I feel my emotions war within myself. I look at the thing my friend was   
  
forced to become and want to scream, weep and vomit all at once.  
  
In the end, I do none of these things. With a labored sigh, I move down the   
  
mountain, blocking out my view of both Sin and the ruined towers of Zanarkand.  
  
And as I travel, I remember. 


	3. Chaper 3: Memories

STILL MORE DISCLAIMER: I don't own FFX or FFX-2. I'm not profiting from this   
  
story and not looking to. I'm just having fun with square-enix's characters and   
  
world.  
  
A/N: well, here's chapter 3, its a little shorter than i meant, but puting it   
  
together with chaper 4 made it too long. but i'm posting both today!  
  
_Yunalesca's magic has destroyed my right eye, and I can't truly see.   
  
Somehow, despite that and my wounded shoulder, I've picked my way through the   
  
ruins and over the mountain through instinct alone. Somehow, I've avoided the   
  
fiends—although surely not through the grace of a god I no longer believe in.  
  
The ground below my feet begins to level off and I know that I've   
  
reached the base of the mountain. My legs give out beneath me and I fall face   
  
first in to the snow. Distantly, I register the spreading red splotch in the   
  
snow and think that I won't even be able to keep my promise to Braska. That   
  
thought forces me back to my feet and I stagger onward.  
  
I am in the Macelania Woods, just outside Bevelle when I collapse again.   
  
I know that I won't be getting up this time. I think I wept.  
  
How long I lay on the trail bleeding my life out is a mystery. Just   
  
another one of Spira's secrets. But most of my wits return to me at the touch of   
  
a hand to my back. I make a feeble attempt to grab my sword from the where it   
  
lays on the road, but it is on my blind side and I cannot find it.  
  
The hand turns me over, none too gently, and I scream as my already   
  
injured shoulder is damaged further. Dimly, I think that Jecht would scorn my   
  
lack of control.  
  
"Not dead. Good." The voice is rough, gravelly. A Ronso, I think.  
  
When I open my eye, I realize that he's close enough for me to make out   
  
with no trouble. He is small for a Ronso, and his horn has been broken off, but   
  
he looks strong and fit. I can't help but think that some higher power is doing   
  
me a favor.  
  
It takes time and energy—more than I have left really—to convince him to   
  
take Braska's daughter to Besaid. But somehow I do.  
  
And then blackness claims me, promising me some kind of relief.

* * *

When I woke later, I saw when nearly the last thing I would have   
  
expected.  
  
An Al-Bhed man is leaning over me, placing a bandage over my ruined eye.   
  
He is young—not more than twenty-five—with the tanned skin and blond hair common   
  
to his people. Thanks to the nature of his task, he notices immediately when I   
  
open my eye.  
  
"Ah, you are awake, I see." His voice has the cultured tone of someone   
  
who is using a second language and refuses to be taken for an idiot by its   
  
native speakers. I like him almost at once. "I was afraid you would not with   
  
wounds like these." He finishes applying my bandage with an adhesive tape that   
  
only the Al-Bhed seem to use.  
  
I open my mouth to speak, but all I can manage is a dry rasp. He picks   
  
up a cup of water, as if he was prepared for exactly this. (Maybe he was.   
  
Braska's wife had always had what we needed on hand whenever we had needed it.)   
  
Gently, he coaxed water into me, not needing to tell me to take small sips, lest   
  
I make myself ill. I didn't have the energy for anything else.  
  
After a few sips, he set the cup back down. "You should sleep more. You   
  
were more injured than the Ronso believed."  
  
**Yes. I should have died when Yunalesca blasted me.** That was what I   
  
wanted to say. And then the mountain should have killed me.  
  
Instead, I said, hoarsely, "What is your name?"  
  
"Rin. And you are at my Travel Agency in the Calm Lands. The Ronso,   
  
Kimahri brought you here."  
  
"Auron." It was really all I could manage to get out. But now Yuna's   
  
savior had a name, and I was grateful. Even if I hadn't the energy to say it.  
  
"Rest well, Auron," Rin told me. "You are safe here with us."  
  
And safe I was, except from my body's own frailties._


	4. Chapter 4: Dreams and Visions

DISCLAIMER PART 4: I don't own FFX or FFX-2. I'm not profiting from this story   
  
and not looking to. I'm just having fun with square-enix's characters and world.  
  
_ That night, I died.  
  
I don't know if it was before or during the dream. But I know that I would have   
  
missed most of its import if I hadn't been dead for most of it.

* * *

  
  
The wind blows my hair back from my face and into streamers behind me.  
  
The land is bathed in the kind of dusky light between sunset and true dark that   
  
makes the Calm Lands look like a grey washed painting. I survey my surroundings   
  
and realize that I have the use of both eyes.  
  
And I feel no pain. It is a glorious release.  
  
Behind me, someone clears his throat. I turn to see Braska, pallid and drained   
  
as he had been in his last moments. The sight is unnerving, but I do not   
  
hesitate to hug him.  
  
Despite the chill of death that infuses him, it is not an unpleasant experience,   
  
and I would do nearly anything to hold onto it for as long as I can.  
  
But Braska steps back and shakes his head. "Not yet, Auron. You still have more   
  
to do here. Our true reunion time is a long time yet. His pale face turns up in   
  
a smile then. "I loved you, you know. You were so much more than mere friend or   
  
Guardian."  
  
He looked up, his expression becoming troubled. "He comes. Have faith. It will   
  
all end soon. Goodbye, my brother."  
  
Darkness engulfed the plain at his words, and I reached a hand out to Braska,   
  
trying even now to protect my Summoner--my brother--from this new threat.  
  
My scream rose from the depths of my soul and exploded from me as he disappeared   
  
in a cloud of pyreflies. And then I fell to my knees and wept.  
  
How long I cried, I do not know. But I was completely drained when my episode   
  
passed.  
  
"Sir Auron." The voice was not one I recognized. I looked up to see a dark   
  
skinned boy in a purple hood before me. "You don't have time for this. He's   
  
waiting for you in Zanarkand. Hurry while there's still time."  
  
I looked toward Zanarkand and saw the globe of "water" that Sin had become after   
  
subsuming Jecht. And I knew that was my destination. I turned back to the boy.  
  
"Sin is waiting for me?"  
  
"Not Sin."  
  
Not Sin? Then who…Jecht! Somehow he was still whole inside Sin and he was   
  
waiting for me. I began to walk toward the ruined city.  
  
"Run!" The boy encouraged me. And I did.  
  
And in that strange way of dreams, I arrived in Zanarkand in mere seconds. Sin   
  
loomed in front of me, larger than the blitzball stadium in Luca and much more   
  
intimidating.  
  
As I stood watching, a dark tentacle leapt from the fluid sphere and dragged me   
  
into its quicksilver depths. I was deposited unceremoniously before a pair of   
  
sandaled feet.  
  
"Hiya, Auron." I looked up into Jecht's cocky grin. He extended a hand and   
  
pulled me up from the ground. "I'm glad ya came."  
  
"So am I." I don't think I'd ever wanted to hug the arrogant blitzball player   
  
before, but I did now. He returned the embrace enthusiastically.  
  
When we separated, he held me out at arms length. "I figured it out. How to get   
  
you to my Zanarkand. And its so simple I can't believe I didn't think of it   
  
sooner.  
  
"But here's the real pisser. Ya gotta be dead--or less than alive--for it to   
  
work. You game?"

* * *

When I woke, I knew that I'd lost the most important part of the dream to my   
  
fallible memory. But I did remember Jecht's final words to me.  
  
"Meet me in your Zanarkand in two weeks. We gotta get this show on the road."  
  
Gingerly, I tested my wounded arm. I found the pain gone and the limb devoid of   
  
any stiffness. My eye was still a ruined mass of tissues, but I would grow used   
  
to that. I knew then that I had died, and overall I was well pleased with how   
  
I'd converted from living to dead.  
  
Silently, I slipped from the bed in the tent the Al-Bhed were using as my   
  
sickroom. It was still fully dark, and the girl who was tending the shop was   
  
asleep at her post. I slipped up to the counter and searched quietly until I   
  
found a pen and paper.  
  
For a moment, I searched my memory for the words Braska's wife had taught me,   
  
then wrote dryhg oui--thank you--on the paper. I'd never learned much more than   
  
that, but I'd always used it around her as a sign of respect. I signed my name   
  
as well and then took out 1000 gil--all I still had--and folded it inside the   
  
paper. It was the only way I really had to thank them, for I would be climbing   
  
through Macelania Woods by morning.  
  
I had only two weeks before I was due in Zanarkand, and I intended to put them   
  
to good use._


	5. Chapter 5: To Zanarkand

A/N: All right, I want to clarify some things here at the begining before I   
  
start getting tons of complaints/questions about my time refrences. I am basing   
  
this fic on the assumption that the pilgrimage took approximately one year to   
  
complete, and that Braska, Auron and Jecht spent around a year preparing for the   
  
journey, since Yuna remembered Jecht telling her lots of stories and spending   
  
time with her. This is MY PERSONAL OPINION on their pilgrimage, and is in no way   
  
cannon. And now, onto the disclaimer and my new chapter.  
  
SOME MORE DISCLAIMER: I don't own FFX, FFX-2, the characters, or any of   
  
square-enix's copyrighted material. I am not out to make any money from this   
  
fiction. This story is just a work of fun, and is owned exclusively by me.

* * *

The ruins had not changed in the two weeks I had been away. They were   
  
still dark and bleak. And still filled with fiends and sorrow. No matter what   
  
Jecht had told me, I did not want to be here.  
  
And yet, here I was.  
  
The city was still blocking my view of Sin, but I knew it was there. I   
  
could feel it--and it made my skin crawl. Jecht or no, I was damned close to   
  
just turning my back and leaving.  
  
I stepped into the debris strewn courtyard tat Jecht had said was the   
  
entrance to the Blitzball stadium before I could change my mind.  
  
There was no more time to escape the job I'd gotten myself into. Taking   
  
a deep breath, I tightened my grip on the hilt of my sword and stepped through   
  
Sin's quicksilver skin.  
  
"I was beginning to think that you wouldn't make it."  
  
"I ran into Kinoc at Lake Macelania. He slowed me down by a day." I gave   
  
Jecht a half grin. "I knew you'd wait for me.  
  
"Sure, as long as I could. Yu Yevon's getting stronger." He shook his   
  
head. "Dunno how long 'til I'm gonna have to fight for control."  
  
"I'm sorry. But he's the only person left in Spira that will care what   
  
happened to me. I had to say goodbye."  
  
"I know, Auron. And I understand. We're just running out of time faster   
  
now."  
  
As if to lend import to his words, the "ground" we were standing on   
  
shook beneath our feet.  
  
"Damn," Jecht spat. "He's listening. Time to go." He grabbed my arm and   
  
began dragging me to the center of the sphere. "Don't forget, it's the boat at   
  
the end of the docks. My wife will probably be on the deck still looking for me.   
  
If you get lost, just ask around for Jecht's place."  
  
We were rapidly approaching what looked like a brightly lit city. "Give   
  
my wife this, so that she'll know you aren't lying." He pressed a bundle into my   
  
hands. "And wear the glasses so that you don't scare the runt with your scar. I   
  
dunno when I'll be back, so keep and eye out." We were standing on a cliff   
  
overlooking the city. "Watch your back. I'll miss you."  
  
I turned to look at him. "Jecht--"  
  
He shoved me over the cliff. "Sorry," he yelled. "We don't have time for   
  
long goodbyes!"  
  
I blacked out somewhere during the fall.

* * *

The sun on my face and children's laughter woke me. I stood up and   
  
looked around. My surroundings were very foreign--and very tall. This city was   
  
much more…cosmopolitan than Luca or Bevelle. And it seemed vaguely familiar   
  
despite the daylight. It really couldn't be anyplace but Jecht's Zanarkand.  
  
I realized that I was holding Jecht's bundle in a death grip and   
  
loosened it quickly, lest I destroy its contents. Surprisingly, the dark glasses   
  
he'd given me had survived both the fall and my grip. Idly, I wondered how he'd   
  
gotten them--its not like Sin was a wandering item shop.  
  
"Don't scare the boy," I mumbled as I put them on. "As if I'll be   
  
getting around that."  
  
The children I'd heard where playing with a ball in a grassy park.   
  
Hesitantly I walked over to them. Their laughter and their game stopped as soon   
  
as they saw me. The youngest--a girl of no more than four--squealed and dashed   
  
behind an older boy.  
  
Dealing with children was not my strongest suit. Braska had always been   
  
so much better at it than I. My only real--or extensive--experience was with   
  
Yuna. I could only hope these children would respond to a stranger's question as   
  
she would.  
  
"I'm looking for the docks. Can you tell me where that is?"  
  
A girl about Yuna's age pointed. "Down that street."  
  
I nodded to her. "Thank you."  
  
The street she'd indicated was narrow, but bright and I felt a bit more   
  
at ease as I walked down it. Although nothing could calm my nerves about   
  
approaching Jecht's wife and son.  
  
I don't know how long I walked down the road. It could have been five   
  
minutes or an hour. My time sense seemed distorted in this place. But eventually   
  
I reached the docks.  
  
It was a busy bustling place. More boats filled the slips than were in   
  
the combined fishing fleets of both Killika and Besaid Islands. And I could see   
  
several more ships out to sea. I despaired of ever finding Jecht's home.  
  
Slowly, I began to walk toward the closer end of the docks. I was hoping   
  
to get lucky and walk the shorter distance, thereby satisfying my need to have   
  
my conversation with Jecht's wife over with. Of course, if I had chosen wrongly,   
  
then I would have to walk back to the other end of the docks, satisfying my   
  
desire to delay the inevitable.  
  
I needn't have worried. No more than a third of the way to my   
  
destination, I was approached by a young woman.  
  
"I beg your pardon, sir," she said, "but you seem lost."   
  
She was a small woman, not much taller than a girl, with a thin frame and bright   
  
blue eyes. She looked tired, and I was surprised that she would go out of her   
  
way to aid a stranger. She looked to be on here way home from the market and I   
  
was almost loathe to delay her any longer.  
  
But I did. "I'm looking for the home of a man named Jecht. Can you tell   
  
me where I can find it?"  
  
She looked at me with sad, tear filled eyes. "Why? So that you can ask   
  
for an autograph? Or beg for blitzball lessons for you son? Or maybe you just   
  
want to take him out for a drink so that you can brag to all your friends later.   
  
Well, which is it?"  
  
The woman's tone should have been bitter or angry, but the mention of   
  
Jecht's name had dragged her into the depths of sorrow. I couldn't believe that   
  
I had run into his wife like this on the street. "I have a news for his wife and   
  
son. And a message."  
  
She put her hands to her face, sobbing. Her market bag fell to the   
  
ground, forgotten, and I heard something inside shatter. Impulsively, I put my   
  
arm around her as I would have Yuna, and let her cry herself out. I felt a bit   
  
self-conscious, but none of the hundreds of people around us seemed to notice.  
  
The storm passed as quickly as it had started. She pulled back from me   
  
looking a bit embarrassed and wiped her eyes. "I'm sorry. Its just that he's   
  
been gone for so long…" She shook her head. "The house is this way."  
  
The woman walked off, her market bag completely forgotten. I picked it   
  
up and quickly followed.  
  
She entered the cabin of the boat and left the door standing   
  
open--neither inviting me in, or shutting me out. I entered and saw here   
  
standing numbly in the main room. Cautiously, I touched her shoulder.  
  
When she looked at me, I held out her bag. "You forgot this."  
  
Numbly, she took the bag. "Thank you." Her voice was hollow, and I   
  
wondered if she was always like this at home. My heart went out to the boy if   
  
she was.  
  
"Where is your son?" I wanted to tell the story just once, if I could.  
  
"Hmm? Oh, Tidus. He's probably still at blitzball practice."  
  
Damn. I had been asking for too much good luck in one day. "All right.   
  
Perhaps you should put away your shopping before I tell you of Jecht."  
  
"It will keep. I want to hear about my husband."  
  
It seemed the inevitable was upon me. "You will want to sit down for   
  
this. It is a long story."   
  
When she'd done as I suggested, I took a deep breath and began. "My name   
  
is Auron. I met your husband two years ago, in the city of Bevelle…" 


	6. Chapter 6: Hope's Death

A/N: Starting next chapter (which I hope to get put up tonight, too) I will be   
  
writing from Tidus' POV. I'll be alternating from one POV to the other from   
  
there out. I'll make a notation at the begining of each chapter letting you know   
  
who's narrating it.  
  
THE SIXTH VERSION OF DISCLAIMER: Don't own 'em. Not making money off 'em. Just   
  
playing around with them in my twisted imagination. If you wanna archive me, ask   
  
first! 

* * *

My story was not a short one, and the boy came home in the middle of it.   
  
He didn't believe much of my well constructed lie about Jecht's life in my   
  
world, but his mother seemed to hang on my every word. I think that the waiting,   
  
and not knowing, had been driving her mad.  
  
I told her a very modified version of how Braska had recruited Jecht the   
  
year before we left on our pilgrimage. I omitted any reference to Sin or the   
  
Final Summoning. I was determined to give them some kind of closure, even if I   
  
had to throw my honor away to do it.  
  
I told them that Jecht had died protecting a village that was being   
  
attacked by fiends.  
  
Tidus didn't believe a word of it.  
  
I was glad.

* * *

Jecht's wife died that spring.  
  
Not a physical death, but one of the mind and heart. Her loss became too   
  
much and she just…stopped living. I think it would have been easier on us if she   
  
had died a physical death.  
  
I had taken Tidus to his blitzball game that afternoon--she'd had   
  
shopping and housework to do. Besides that, she didn't like going to the games.  
  
Tidus and I understood. There was too much of Jecht there for her. That   
  
didn't matter to the boy, though. The game was in him, and we gladly let it   
  
carry him away. It helped him forget how much he had grown to hate his father.  
  
Tidus' team had won that day--their tenth straight--and he was jubilant.   
  
I must admit, his enthusiasm had infected me as well, and I wore a smile myself.   
  
We discussed a celebratory dinner--for just the three of us. I hadn't felt this   
  
carefree--or happy--since long before Zanarkand.  
  
The smiles fell from our faces when we walked in the door.  
  
"MOM!" Tidus screamed, running to her side.  
  
She was sitting in the center of the room, a large box next to her, and   
  
photographs spread over the floor. Clutched in her hand was a picture of Jecht   
  
holding an infant and smiling hugely.  
  
If not for the even rise and fall of her chest, I would have thought   
  
she'd died while we were away.  
  
I watched the boy cry over his mother, and I felt my heart break. I'd   
  
only known him for a few short months and already he was like my child. Mentally   
  
I cursed Jecht for ever asking this of me.  
  
I wasn't ready to raise his son alone.  
  
Tidus didn't play in the championship game that season. We were too busy   
  
arranging proper care for his mother to make the last two games.   
  
I was surprised that the people of Zanarkand would even provide care for   
  
their mentally infirm, but provide they did. Even down to communal living   
  
structures with on-site healers for them. It was expensive, but Tidus could   
  
afford it. His father had left them very well off.  
  
I was even more surprised to learn that Jecht's wife had given me legal   
  
authority over Jecht's estate and Tidus in the event that something happened to   
  
her. After all, she'd only know me for a few months. But apparently, my   
  
connection to Jecht and his faith in me were enough for her.  
  
I hoped that confidence would be proven out. 


	7. Chapter 7: Golden Boy

A/N: Well, here it is: my first Tidus POV chapter. Its a little glossy--hope you   
  
don't mind. But nine years of mundane child raising is kind of boring to read or   
  
write. I promise, tho, it gets better from here!  
  
TIDUS  
  
I had just turned eight when I lost my mom. Don't get me wrong--she   
  
didn't die or anything. She just sort of…stopped one day while Auron and I were   
  
at a blitzball game.  
  
After that, Auron took care of me full time. Not that he hadn't been   
  
pretty much doing that for the last couple of months. but now he moved into my   
  
house, cooked all the food, did the laundry, all of it.  
  
Auron--who'd never even had kids before me--became my mom and dad both.   
  
I don't think I realized how lucky I'd been that he was there until now.  
  
Those first few years were a trip. There was lot of resentment on my   
  
part for a while. He wasn't my mom, and he wasn't my dad, and I wanted to hate   
  
him for it.   
  
I think I got over it when blitzball season started back up that summer   
  
and he knew about registration before I did. And he made sure I got signed up on   
  
time. After that, I found it pretty hard to be angry at him.  
  
He was better about being at my games than Mom had ever been. He didn't   
  
miss one that first year. Auron even took the team out for dinner himself when   
  
the Junior Abes won the championship.  
  
For being such a stiff, he was a huge softie when it came to me.  
  
I think my childhood actually got better after my mom got put into the   
  
asylum.

* * *

He moved out of the house when I got recruited to play pro for the Abes. Guess   
  
he figured that if I was old enough for that, then I was old enough to take care   
  
of my own house. He got a little loft apartment about three blocks away from the   
  
docks--just close enough to me so that I could go running to him if I needed   
  
him.  
  
The first few weeks, I think I wore a rut in the sidewalk going to his   
  
place. I even got to know his landlady on a first name basis. I mean, hey, I was   
  
only fifteen--I was having a ton of crises.  
  
Those trips tapered off after awhile, though, as I learned to handle the   
  
fans, the reporters and the bills on my own. Instead of two or three times a   
  
day, they became two or three times a week. Then just twice a week or so. By the   
  
end of six months we ere having dinner once a week while we discussed bills and   
  
schedules and things.  
  
It really was a good place to be for me. I was finally out from under my   
  
father's shadow and making my own name. Sometimes, when I went to visit my   
  
mother, I even caught her smiling faintly from her corner of the world at   
  
mention of my new place in the spotlight.  
  
I had been on my own for about a year when I started canceling our   
  
dinner nights. At first it was just a few, but eventually it became a surprise   
  
when I was actually home for one. Auron never missed one though. I would come   
  
home from my nights on the town and find whatever note he'd left me on the state   
  
of my affairs along with some dinner that wouldn't be too terrible reheated.  
  
I dunno why I stopped going really. I guess I thought girls and blitzing   
  
were more important than dinners with the guy who raised me.  
  
I think I turned into my old man.  
  
And I think that I really hurt Auron.

* * *

We had our first real fight right before the championships the year I turned   
  
sixteen. I went out and partied hard the night before the semi-finals. So I was   
  
exhausted and hung-over for our game.  
  
We lost spectacularly because of my "off game." Auron was…a little upset   
  
about it.  
  
"Your team lost because of you."  
  
"Oh, please! You came here because I had a lousy game?" I was so cocky   
  
and full of myself--and my relatively new fame--that I didn't really care.  
  
"They were counting on you. You were their leader and you let them down.   
  
Your actions cost them the championship."  
  
"Oh, like it was all my fault. There are five other guys on the team,   
  
you know."  
  
My back was to him, so I didn't see him move, but I knew when he grabbed   
  
my shoulder and spun me around so that I was facing him. He was glaring   
  
daggers--or maybe they were longswords--at me.  
  
"Having five other guys in the sphere just means that they all look bad   
  
too, for depending on a loser like you."  
  
_That_ made me mad. Nobody called me a loser. I was the Abes golden   
  
child--I was the best! I was _NOT_ a loser.  
  
I punched him. It didn't even make him loosen his grip in me. I didn't   
  
realize what I was in for until I was laying on the floor with pain exploding   
  
through my face.  
  
Auron--my friend, mentor and pseudo-father--had hit me. In anger, I   
  
thought.  
  
He knelt down in front of me, and looked me straight in the eyes. I   
  
almost flinched away from the anger burning there. "That was to remind you that   
  
you are responsible for the results of your actions. Not the rest of your team.   
  
Not me. And not your father."  
  
Then he got up and left. I watched him go through tear-filled eyes.  
  
I'd been so sure of myself--so arrogant--before that day. But Auron   
  
proved that the golden child had tarnish.  
  
I cried for the first time in a long time that night. 


	8. Chapter 8: Strained Relationship

DISCLAIMER VERSION 8.0: I DON'T OWN ANY OF THE FINAL FANTASY GAMES, SETTINGS OR CHARACTERS. I AM NOT ATTEMPTING TO INFRINGE ON SQUARE-ENIX'S COPYRIGHTS OR MAKE MONEY FROM THIS WORK OF FICTION. I'M JUST OUT TO HAVE SOME FUN IN MY SPARE TIME.  
  
TIDUS  
  
Our "family" dinner that week was a pretty strained affair. Of course   
  
the fact that I was there made that a pretty foregone conclusion.  
  
Auron was definitely right about one thing. I had let my team down in a   
  
big way--and they were letting me know it by having nothing to do with me. It   
  
was depressing.  
  
I spent most of the day worrying about that night. I was pretty on edge   
  
as I waited for Auron to show up. Heck, I didn't even know if he'd be coming. I   
  
was reasonably sure that he was still mad at me.  
  
When he did finally get there, he stepped inside the door and stopped,   
  
just staring at me. I didn't know if he was letting me set the tone, or trying   
  
to keep from yelling at me again.  
  
After about five minutes of staring, I finally got the nerve to break   
  
the silence. "I didn't think you'd be coming."  
  
"I didn't think that you would be here."  
  
"Is that the only reason you came? Because you wouldn't have to deal   
  
with me?" I knew some of my cockiness was seeping into my voice, but I was   
  
angry. Not at him. At myself for having been such a jackass.  
  
"No." He looked like he wanted to say more, but he didn't. And for once,   
  
I decided not to push.  
  
I don't think I wanted to know what he had to say.  
  
We lapsed into another of those uncomfortable silences. I dunno how long   
  
this one lasted, but it drove me up the wall while it did. I winced inwardly as   
  
I realized that he wasn't going to give in first. This had become my show.  
  
"So, are you going to come in, or just hover in the doorway?"  
  
He grunted and smirked in that way of his--the one that said this was   
  
what he'd been waiting for all along. Then he came down the short flight of   
  
stairs into my living room. "Better?"  
  
Standing there, in the middle of my living room, he looked so…_old_. And   
  
tired. For the first time, I realized--really realized--that he had grey hair.   
  
Just then, he looked used up.  
  
I had a sudden fear that he'd leave me too, now.  
  
"Auron, I'm sorry about the other day. You were right. I've been a   
  
jerk."  
  
"Are you hungry?"  
  
"Huh?" His response wasn't what I was expecting. But I guess it was his   
  
way of saying he forgave me, and that things were getting back to normal.  
  
"This is supposed to be dinner night. If you're hungry, then we'll eat.   
  
And then we'll talk."  
  
Then again, maybe things weren't getting better after all.  
  
While we were eating, I finally clued into the fact that Auron wasn't still   
  
angry about our fight. I waited for him to tell me, but he talked around the   
  
subject. Finally, I pushed.  
  
"Auron, something's bugging you. What is it?"  
  
He took a deep breath like he was steading himself for something. "Your   
  
mother's healer came to see me today. He says that she is not doing well."  
  
"What do you mean, not doing well?" I felt my stomach sinking somewhere   
  
near my shoes. I thought I knew where this was going. "She's dying, isn't she?"  
  
He nodded. "The healers are keeping her alive, but they say that the   
  
longer they do, the less likely it is that she will recover at all. And that   
  
eventually they won't be able to do anything at all."  
  
"What are you getting at, Auron?" My mind was refusing to process what   
  
he was telling me.  
  
"They want to stop trying now, and just let her go peacefully. But they   
  
cannot without our permission." Without his permission, really but he was   
  
willing to abide by my decision. She was _my_ mother after all.  
  
"No. I'm not ready to let her go yet."  
  
"I thought not. I'll tell them in the morning."  
  
The healers weren't happy about having to keep my mom alive, but since I was   
  
paying for it, they didn't argue too much. By the time my mom finally rallied,   
  
six months had passed. The healers all said it was a miracle.  
  
I think she just gave up on trying to die.  
  
My seventeenth birthday was only three months away after that. The day   
  
when everything Auron had authority over would be passed to me. When Auron   
  
wouldn't be able to fight my battles over my mother for me anymore. I would be   
  
thrown to the fiends finally, and auron would only be able to help me minimally.  
  
I was terrified that he'd leave after my birthday.  
  
Turns out, I didn't need to worry about any of that. 


	9. Chapter 9: Party!

A/N: Yeah, its short. I know. But I switch characters here pretty quick and I   
  
didn't want last chapter to run long. Don't worry. Chapter 10 will be up tonight   
  
too.   
  
TIDUS  
  
Auron threw me a surprise party the night before my birthday. Guess him   
  
going to all those blitzball practices with me finally paid off, cause he'd   
  
managed to invite all my friends behind my back.  
  
You might not believe it, but the old guy can throw a hell of a party.   
  
Everyone was actually having a good time. Except maybe Auron, but you can't   
  
always tell with him.  
  
Halfway through the night, he came up to me. "I won't be at your game   
  
tomorrow night."  
  
"Huh? Why not?" It was pretty weird for him to miss a game.  
  
"I have personal business to take care of. It can't wait."  
  
"Oh. Will you be back for the play offs?" I wasn't to upset. It was only   
  
my old man's memorial game anyway. The playoffs were next week.  
  
"It is my plan."  
  
"Oh, ok." It worked for me. "Are you leaving tonight or something?"  
  
"As long as you won't be needing me. It can wait until morning if it   
  
must." He actually looked like he thought I might need him for something   
  
tonight.  
  
"Nah, we'll be fine. Bryn's mom is hanging out with the old lady next   
  
door if we need anything."  
  
"Very well. I will see you when I return." He turned to go.  
  
"Hey, Auron!" He turned back. "Have a good trip."  
  
He nodded and walked to the door.  
  
My friend Bryn walked over to me as Auron was leaving. "Where's the old   
  
man going?" We all called him that. Not because he really was, but because he   
  
could be such a stiff sometimes. From the guys on the team, it was a term of   
  
affection.   
  
"He's gotta go on some trip. Guess that's why the party was tonight."  
  
"He's a cool guy, your old man." He didn't mean my dad.  
  
"Yeah, he is."  
  
He slapped my shoulder. "C'mon. Allya just got here with her cousins.   
  
One of 'em's pretty cute."  
  
"Sounds good." We waded back into the sea of the party. 


	10. Chapter 10: Encounter in Zanarkand

DISCLAIMER 10: I do NOT in any way own FFX, the characters therein or anything copywriten by Square-Enix. I am also not trying to make a profit from this piece of fanfiction. It is for my amusement and the amusement of my readers.

AURON  
  
I felt a twinge of regret, leaving in the middle of Tidus' party, but something   
  
told me it was time to go. My regret almost made me turn around and stay, but I   
  
continued out the door.  
  
When I stepped outside, I saw the boy from my dream across the street.   
  
Warily, I crossed over to him.  
  
"Do you feel him, Sir Auron?"  
  
"Jecht?"  
  
The boy nodded. "He's waiting for you. You should hurry."  
  
"I will. I've waited too long for this." I turned to go.  
  
"Are you sure you're ready?"  
  
"I've been ready for ten years."  
  
Somehow, I knew that Sin was waiting out in the water just off the docks. I   
  
think that Jecht was trying to keep things as low key as he could until he knew   
  
I was ready.  
  
I appreciated that. I would have to answer Tidus' questions all too soon   
  
as it was.  
  
I shed my coat at the end of one of the docks, hiding it among a stack   
  
of crates. Then, making sure my sword was easily at hand, I dove into the water.  
  
It was cold, bracing me with its chill. I swam out, straight as I could,   
  
toward where I could feel Sin calling out to me. I couldn't see it, but I knew   
  
it was there, holding my friend within.  
  
In my Spira, Sin had liked to hide underwater where its quicksilver hide   
  
made it nearly impossible to see. It--or Jecht--was using that tactic now, and I   
  
had no idea where my destination truly lay. But I would know when I arrived.  
  
And then, I did. On the tail of that thought, between one stroke and the   
  
next, I broke through Sin's protective skin. I fell a few feet to the "ground"   
  
and rolled to a stop.  
  
I picked myself up from the ground and looked around me.  
  
I saw the streets of Bevelle--desolate, deserted and decaying like they   
  
never were in life. Not even a leaf blew across the roadways. The brightly   
  
colored banners were in tatters on the walls or heaps on the road. I felt a   
  
twinge at seeing my hometown so broken, but I shrugged it off. It was, after   
  
all, only an illusion created by Sin.  
  
My mind inserted the name Yu Yevon into that thought as well, but I   
  
didn't know where it had come from. Something Jecht had told me in my dream, so   
  
many years ago perhaps.  
  
I shook off the nagging feeling that I was forgetting something   
  
important, and trudged off down the deserted street. I wondered how I would ever   
  
find Jecht.  
  
I walked for what felt like hours in Sin's (Yu Yevon's) mockery of Bevelle   
  
before I finally found Jecht. I spent much of that time wondering why my mind   
  
insisted on calling Sin by the name of Yu Yevon.  
  
But finally, I stood before my old friend in a ruined meditation garden   
  
inside the temple.  
  
"You were almost late, Auron."  
  
"I'm sorry. I couldn't find you."  
  
"Its all right." He cast a wary eye around the courtyard. "He's   
  
deliberately trying to stop us. Even he thinks my plan will work."  
  
I nodded, my dream coming back to me, along with Jecht's instructions   
  
then. "Tidus is as ready as he'll ever be."  
  
"Then you've got to get back quick, Auron. The old guy's ready to move.   
  
I won't be able to hold him off past tomorrow night."  
  
"That will be enough time. We'll be ready for you."  
  
My friend gave me a skeptical look. "Are you sure?" I nodded. "All right   
  
then. Braska's little girl's nearly a Summoner. If you hook up with her, things   
  
should go a lot more smoothly. I think she'll remember you."  
  
He snapped his fingers then. "Oh, and before I forget, give this to   
  
Tidus."  
  
He held out the sword that Braska had given him at the start of our own   
  
pilgrimage. Gravely, I took the weapon from him.  
  
"I'll make sure he gets it."  
  
"Good. Now you should get out of here before the old guy finds you."  
  
I gave him an amused look. "If I have to leave the same way I came in,   
  
he'll find me for certain before I get out."  
  
"Nah." Jecht waved a hand dismissively. "Just head back out the door you   
  
came in. He's not the only one who can move things around in here." He gave me a   
  
cocky grin.  
  
"All right." I returned his grin. "I'll see you tomorrow."  
  
"Yeah."  
  
As I turned and walked away, all traces of amusement left me, leaving me   
  
cold and businesslike. Tidus wouldn't understand and wouldn't like it, but   
  
focusing on the task ahead would be the only way he'd survive tomorrow night.   
  
Sin was coming to Zanarkand.  
  
And that would be just the beginning.

* * *

A/N: All right gang, thanks for sticking with me so far. We've now caught up to   
  
everything i already had written, so its going to be a bit longer between   
  
postings now. i have to play through the game again now, so that i can get   
  
character introduction, settings and dialogue right. But not to worry, i'm not   
  
abandoning you or the story! i shall return! ;-)


	11. Chapter 11: First, The Lawyer

A/N: First off, I'd like to thank my loyal readers/reviews for their support and   
  
reading. Since there are so few just now, I'd like to give them a special note   
  
each.  
  
Rjtheclown: thanks for your constructive criticism and complements. They've been   
  
very helpful in noticing some flow problems and grammatical errors. Don't worry;   
  
I'll fix that big one in the dream sequence.  
  
DaughterofDeath: you've been with me since the beginning of this fic, and I   
  
can't express how grateful I really am for that. Your continued support and   
  
reading has meant a lot. So did that first review.  
  
Kogoro: thanks for spreading the word with my fic. I hope its been generating   
  
some attention, even if they aren't reviewing. And thanks for the glowing praise   
  
too.   
  
Eva Harlow: you gave me my very first review on this piece and I was so excited   
  
to get it. I'm glad you were interested enough to read and review.  
  
Thanks tons guys! You're the greatest! Hands out Auron and Tidus plushies to   
  
everyone  
  
Second, I'm thinking of adding in an "extra" chapter just before Chapter 7:   
  
Golden Boy that deals with Auron and his experiences with suddenly having to   
  
raise Tidus and why he left him to live on his own when he was recruited for the   
  
Abes. What do you guys think? Review or e-mail and let me know!

* * *

TIDUS  
  
Next morning, I was up bright and early cleaning up from the party. I   
  
guess some of Auron had rubbed off on me during the last three months--when he   
  
had practically moved back into my place-because the mess my house was in was   
  
driving me nuts. I didn't even realize that mundane housework had taken over my   
  
birthday until someone knocked on my door.  
  
In a reasonably bouncy mood-I was 17 now, after all-I bounded to the   
  
door to answer it.  
  
Mom's lawyer was standing there, with a folder of papers. I guess he was   
  
my lawyer too, by now, but it never really felt like it. He'd been a friend of   
  
her family's anyway, and I remember my old man not liking him too much. So mom's   
  
lawyer he was.  
  
"Good morning, Tidus," he greeted. "I have some papers for you and Auron   
  
to sign. Does he happen to be here?"  
  
Great. All that legal crap that I'd been hoping to put off for at least   
  
another day. "Nah. He had some emergency personal stuff come up last night.   
  
Dunno when he'll be back."  
  
"I see. Well, most of it can't be handled until he comes back, then.   
  
Except for this." He pulled a small white envelope out of the folder and handed   
  
it to me. "Happy birthday, my boy. It's been a pleasure to know you all these   
  
years."  
  
I was more than a little surprised that mom's lawyer would get me   
  
something for my birthday-he certainly hadn't before. But maybe being seventeen   
  
now gave me some special privilege in his eyes.  
  
I was even more surprised to open the envelope and find two tickets to   
  
next week's sold out Rising Stars concert. My favorite band.  
  
"Wow," was all I could manage to say.  
  
"That lovely young woman on your blitzball team said that you were a   
  
fan. I do hope you enjoy it."  
  
Sure, I was a fan. One of the biggest in Zanarkand, even if most people   
  
didn't know. Allya must have heard me singing some of their stuff in the locker   
  
room or something. "I will. Thanks!"  
  
"You're very welcome." His smile was the kind a grandparent might wear   
  
when they've given a well-received gift. "When your guardian gets home, the two   
  
of you need to stop by the office so that everything can be signed over to you."  
  
"We will." Cool. I got to put off the legal crap after all.  
  
"Then I shall see you later." He turned and left.  
  
I decided to ask Allya to go to the concert with me, and headed off   
  
right after him.

* * *

I'd shown up at Allya's place just in time to get invited in for an early   
  
breakfast with her family. She had both parents, two brothers and a sister, so   
  
it was a pretty crowded mess. But her mom insisted that I stay, since it was my   
  
birthday and I hadn't eaten yet.  
  
I discovered that I really liked all the craziness. And the easy way the   
  
banter flew between the siblings. I began to wonder what things would have been   
  
like in my family if my old man hadn't died. Or if Mom hadn't gotten so messed   
  
up in the head and married someone else.  
  
And then I started wondering why Auron had never gotten a girlfriend. Or   
  
any friends for that matter. I got so wrapped in my musings that I tuned out the   
  
breakfast around me.  
  
Allya yanked me from my little world by shaking my shoulder. "Hey,   
  
birthday boy! You still with us?"  
  
"Huh?" I blinked a couple of times. "Sorry, I was thinking."  
  
She grinned. "We noticed. The smoke was just rolling out."  
  
Her brothers and sister laughed at me. I just shook my head.  
  
"Anyway, Mom was asking what brought you out here this morning. We   
  
figured that you'd be out with the old man today."  
  
"Allya!" he mother snapped. "How many times have I told you not to use   
  
that disrespectful name?!"  
  
"Its okay," I said quickly. "He really doesn't mind. He told me so."  
  
Allya's mother gave me a look that said she didn't believe me, but she   
  
didn't push the subject.  
  
I looked over at Allya. "I came over this morning to ask you if you   
  
wanted to go to the Rising Stars concert with me next week."  
  
She blinked. "Seriously? You have tickets and you want me to go?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Mom, can I?"   
  
Allya's mom sighed. "I suppose. But you be home before midnight."  
  
Allya squealed and hugged me. "Thank you! Thankyouthankyouthankyou!"  
  
"Sure. No problem."  
  
The rest of breakfast was full of conversation about the concert and the   
  
Rising Stars. It was one of the best days of my life. 


	12. Chapter 12: Blitzing with Sin

A/N: Sorry I haven't posted an update for a while. My computer got the flu in a serious way and we lost everything. I had to do a lot of waiting before I could use her again. But I did get quite a bit of this story written out by hand in the meantime, so here is Chapeter 12. I know, its hellishly long, but that was the only way to do it. I just couldn't break up Sin's attack on Zanarkand. I've also gone back to previous chapters and cleaned up a few grammer and wording issues that have been pointed out to me.  
  
Thanks bunches guys! Keep reading!

* * *

I ended up spending the rest of that day with Allya and her family. It was a blast. Nothing like all the parties we went to, or my days with Auron. It was warm and full of life.  
  
It was like waking up after a really bad dream.  
  
I got back home about two hours before the game. Just enough time to get cleaned up and run back to the sadium. I would get there in time to warm up, but not too much else. If we could beat the Titans tonight, my day would go from great to perfect.  
  
There were some fans gathered outside my house, so I spent a couple minutes signing autographs. A trio of boys wanted me to teach them how to play, but I didn't have time before the game. I wanted to do it after, but another boy-in a purple hood-told me I wouldn't be able to. I didn't really understand, but I promised the kids I'd teach them the next day. Then I had to take off, or I'd be late.  
  
As I was jogging to the stadium, one of the radio stations was blaring on the loudspeaker about the game tonight. And about how my old man disappeared ten years ago. I was annoyed by the reminder that tonight's game was the Jecht Memorial Cup. I didn't want to be reminded of my old man right now.  
  
I glared at his billboard as I ran by.  
  
There was a huge crowd outside the stadium. I guess they were still waiting for seats.  
  
_Or waiting to mob unsuspecting players_, I thought as a large group of girls moved to block my path inside. I managed to push through them, but it was a struggle.  
  
Warm-ups were short and the coach gave me lots of time to indulge in my ritual of dangling my feet in the water and meditating before the game. It was something I'd picked up from Auron when I was little, and it helped me stay calm and focused on the game.  
  
I was jolted out of my meditation when the dome opened and the music blared out of all the speakers. I stood on the edge of the sphere, watching the pre-game light show and waved to the crowd.

* * *

I'm not like my old man was. I can't remember every detail of the game to repeat to any fan willing to listen. I only remember the big stuff-like knocking the Titans midfielder out of the sphere and inot the crowd, or scoring a goal.  
  
Or leaping out of the water to make a kick and seeing a swarm of fireballs blowing through the city.  
  
Somehow, when the fireballs hit the stadium, I managed to grab onto a balcony rail and hang on. It took two solid hits before I lost my grip and fell to the ground. I hit hard-maybe should have died. I know I should have had broken bones. But when I got up, nothing was wrong, except for feeling like I got the wind knocked out of me.  
  
I followed what was left of the crowd as they ran out of the demolished stadium in a panic. I didn't understand what was going on. I mean, who would attack Zanarkand like this? It wasn't like we had a standing army or anything. The whole thing made no sense at all.  
  
As I ran out of what was left of the dome, I spotted a familiar red coat. _NO! Why is Auron_ _here? He wasn't supposed to be back today! He was supposed to be gone!_ I was panicked now--what if he got killed here, just because he got home early? What would I do without him?  
  
"Auron!" I yelled, running up to him. "What are you doing here?" _You aren't supposed to_ _be here,_ my mind added.  
  
"I was waiting for you." He sounded like nothing was really even going on. That confused me more.  
  
"What are you talking about?" He walked away as I was talking, so I chased after him.  
  
We ran down the road back toward my boat--and into more of the chaos. I saw bodies and rubble everywhere--and a few fiends too. People who were more panicked than I was ran past us in ones and two, more worried about what was behind them than what might be in front.  
  
Suddenly, everything went white around me and I couldn't see anything. When the world came back, all the people who'd been running along with me were frozen in place. I took a step forward and spun around, looking for Auron.  
  
He was gone.  
  
But that boy in the purple hood was there. Not that I really noticed him at first.  
  
"It begins," he told me.  
  
I turned around to look at him, ready to ask about what was going on. I didn't get the chance.  
  
"Don't cry."  
  
_Don't cry?_ I took a step toward him, and the world went white again.  
  
I was getting really tired of not knowing what was going on.  
  
I looked around again once I could see again. The world in all its horror had started back up. "What the…?"  
  
Auron was back ahead of me on the road. "Hey wait!"  
  
I dropped into a sprint to catch up with him before anything else happened. I slid to a stop just in front of him.  
  
I leaned over panting as I told him, "Hey, not this way." I wanted to take one of the side streets and just get out of the city.  
  
He glanced at me, and then back the way we'd been running. "Look."  
  
I did--and kind of wished I hadn't. There was this huge ball of…water, I guess, hanging in the air over Zanarkand. Every few seconds it would suck some part of the city into itself. I stood there with my jaw somewhere near my knees.  
  
"We called it Sin."  
  
I looked back at Auron. "Sin?" This thing was something he knew about?  
  
Before I could ask him about what he knew, a huge fiend slammed into a building just ahead of us. It must have been a carrier of some kind, because right after it hit a swarm of smaller fiends came flying at us.  
  
When they approached us, I swung my arms wildly, trying to keep them back. I knew it wouldn't work, but I did it anyway. When one of them jumped at me, I fell on my butt trying to get away from it.  
  
I was pretty sure I was going to die then.  
  
"Take it." I looked up to see Auron holding a sword out to me. "A gift from Jecht."  
  
"My old man?" I was a little confused about that, but it fit right in with the rest of my night. I grabbed the hilt, and Auron pulled me up by it before he let go.  
  
I hadn't expected it to be so top-heavy. And having him let go so suddenly threw off my balance. I fell on my butt again. But at least I got right back up.  
  
Auron just looked at me. "I hope you know how to use it."  
  
Sure I knew how to use it. Did he think I'd lived with him for ten years and not picked something up? I nodded to him and took a ready stance to attack the fiends.  
  
"These ones don't matter," he told me as I attacked one. "We cut through."  
  
I wanted to ask him exactly why they didn't matter, but this really wasn't the time. I just concentrated on the fight and ran on when he did.  
  
The next swarm was a lot bigger. There were at least twenty of the little winged fiends between us and the next stretch of open road. It was a little intimidating.  
  
Auron stopped beside me as I took in the sight of the swarm. "Don't bother going after all of them. Cut the ones that matter and run."  
  
And we did. Slicing open the ones right in front of us, we made our way on to the open road again.  
  
We ran further--onto the overpass near the radio station and to the top of the hill there. Just a little further on was another of those carrier fiends--right in our way. It was imbedded in the road and surrounded by more of those little winged fiends.  
  
We stood there for a second or two, just looking at it. Then Auron ran off toward it. I held out a hand to stop him, but something about the way he went after it stopped me from saying anything.  
  
I think--at that moment--I understood what he'd told my mother about defending his homeland from fiends with my old man and some other friend. This was what he was made for--not cooking or shopping or raising ungrateful little boys.  
  
I ran after him, determined to stop being that little boy.  
  
Assuming we survived the night.  
  
I was pretty angry at this whole thing by now. So many dead people and so much destruction. It was such a waste. I wanted to take it out on anything I could.  
  
"Get out of my town!" I shouted at the fiend as I stopped next to Auron.  
  
He looked at me and gave me a grim smile. "Some can't wait to die!"  
  
The old guy sounded almost…excited. And I saw why when he unleashed an attack that took out all the little fiends in one really big blast.  
  
Wow.  
  
We took out the carrier fiend pretty quickly after that. And then Auron took of down the road toward the docks again.   
  
I was beginning to think that he had a specific destination in mind. And I really didn't like it.  
  
I was beginning to think that he was running toward Sin.  
  
For some reason, Auron stopped in front of the billboard announcing tonight's Jecht Memorial Cup game. My old man was smirking down at us, like this whole thing was funny.  
  
"What are you laughing at, old man?" I asked him. Not that I expected an answer.  
  
I looked over at Auron. "Auron! Let's get out of here!" I hoped he'd go for it.  
  
"We're expected."  
  
"Huh?" Crap. I was afraid he'd say something like that. And then he ran on down the road.  
  
I was pretty sure he was running toward Sin now. And for some stupid reason, I was following him.  
  
"Gimmie a break, man!" I shouted as I took off after him.  
  
We were brought to a very sudden halt when several hundred of those little fiends slammed into the ground in front of us. I was all for turning around and going back the way we came when another huge swarm dropped in behind us.  
  
We were trapped. We'd been expected all right.  
  
Auron summed up the situation with his usual ability for understatement. "Hmph. This could be bad."  
  
_Could be?_ I thought. _If this isn't bad, what is?_  
  
We were just barely holding off the fiends while Auron looked around for a way out. He pointed out a fuel tanker that had been knocked partially off the road. A few sparking cables were all that kept the fuel cells from falling away from the transport unit--and the overpass, by extension.   
  
"That. Knock it down."  
  
"What!?" Was he nuts? That thing could blow up the overpass. Or bring down the building next to us. Eitehr way it would kill us all.  
  
Oh.  
  
"You'll see." Yeah, that was what I thought he meant.  
  
He held off the fiends that got too close, while I slashed at the tanker's cables. After about the fifth strike, the cables let go and the fuel cells fell over the side. I watched them fall until they were lost in the cloud of dust and smoke near the ground.  
  
The explosion was everything I expected. It knocked the building next to us down. It nearly fell on top of me, along with the fiends, but I dodged out of the way. Barely.  
  
We watched it as it settled into its new place in the cityscape. Then Auron looked over at me, almost like he was apologizing for something.  
  
But all he said was, "Go."  
  
He wanted me to run across a burning building and onto the other side of the road. The old guy really had lost it. But I guessed that dying in an explosion was better than some of the other ways I could go tonight.  
  
So I ran. And he followed me this time.  
  
I was about half way across when I felt things start exploding behind me. Then they started blowing up around me too. I put on all the speed I could, but I didn't think I was going to make it across.  
  
And then the edge of the building was in front of me, and I jumped. Just as everything went up in a fireball behind me.  
  
Somehow, I managed to grab onto the edge of the overpass, but my grip wouldn't hold long.  
  
"Auron!" I didn't think he'd made it, but he surprised me again by walking up to the edge of the road. "Auron."  
  
He just looked down at me for a minute. And then he looked up at Sin.  
  
I nearly lost my grip when I realized the thing was right above us.  
  
"You are sure?" Was he _talking_ to it?  
  
He must have gotten some kind of answer, because he reached down and grabbed me by the front of my vest and pulled me up. And then Sin was trying to pull me in too.  
  
"This is it," Auron said to me. "This is your story. It all begins here."  
  
All I had time to do was scream as Sin pulled us both in. 


	13. Chapter 13: Transitions

A/N: I know, I know. I took a couple of liberties last chappie. Mostly the one where I changed the name of the other Blitzball team from the Duggles to the Titans. But Duggles was such a stupid name. Not that Abes is a whole lot better, but that one is too integral to the story, so I can't change it. But, since I don't own FFX or its characters, I can do things like change team names and not get in trouble. But I think I'm starting to Rant here, so I'll just move along.  
  
Sorry this chapter took so long to get out. My muse went off to Tahiti or Jamacia or someplace equally sunny and touristy and just got back. Darn her for not taking me too. Also, sorry its so short, but its another of those transition chapters. But, please R&R so that I know what y'all think of it!  
  
BTW: for those of you who like FF7 fanfic as well, I'm going to put in a shameless plug for my current favorite author ezri-candy and her fic Always Smiling. Actually, all her stuff is good, so go read it!

* * *

Tidus

I blacked out after Sin grabbed us. Well, maybe whited out is a better way to put it, because I wasn't really unconscious. Just unawar of my body or my surroundings. My mind was racing, though.  
  
I wondered where Auron was. Or where I was for that matter. Was I dead?  
  
"Hey." That was a familiar voice. "Hey!"  
  
"My old man?" As I said that, the world around me came into focus. I felt like I was surrounded by water. Below me, I could see Zanarkand burning. It was a little unnerving. So was the flaming Abes logo in the sky.  
  
As I looked around, I noticed a platform behind me. There was a man standing on it, so I started to swim toward it. As I got closer, I could see that it was my old man. I almost wanted to stop when I realized that, but I kept going. Anyplace--or anyone--was better than being alone in the "air" above a burning city.  
  
When I reached the platform, my old man turned into a little boy. I stared at him for a second before I realized that the boy was me. The same age I was when Jecht disappeared.  
  
Then, I fell asleep, wondering what was happening to me.


	14. Chapter 14: Stolen Hope

A/N: and here is chapter 14--in the same day as chapter 13! OO Must have been Tuesday when I started writing, cause I think the world ended or something. anyway, you know the drill.  
  
DISCLAIMER THAT I FORGOT TO MENTION LAST CHAPTER: I don't own any part of the Final Fantasy franchise except my copies of all the games and my Auron wall scroll. And that bumms me out. And, I'm not poor enough that I would stupidly try to make money of this fanfiction which is using copywritten characters, concepts and places. But its lots of fun to write!

* * *

Auron  
  
That had certainly not been my most graceful entrance into the depths of Sin. But Jecht had only been marginally in control of this one.   
  
My head ached, my ears rang, and my eye refused to focus on anything in my field of vision. In short, I felt like I had been sucked into the stomach of a large, city devouring beast and somehow survived the experience. I decided to close my eye and be still until the sensations passed.  
  
"Hey. Hey!" At the shout, I opened my eye again.  
  
Jecht was standing in front of me, looking up at something. I followed the line of his gaze to see Tidus floating above us. He caught sight of Jecht and began swimming toward us.  
  
Just before he would have been able to see me as well, I felt something…shift. The "world" around us was the same, but Tidus was gone.  
  
"This is bad."  
  
"What?" I stood up and walked to Jecht's side. "What is going on?"  
  
"He moved the kid." Jecht turned to me, a worried frown creasing his forehead. "We gotta find him before the spider hurts him."  
  
The spider? Something about that tugged at the back of my mind, demanding that I remember it. But the loss of Jecht's son and the need to find him drove it away. Remembering the past could wait. Finding Tidus and protecting him from Sin's other inhabitant were all that mattered.  
  
When Jecht began to run, I followed--trusting my old friend to guide me through the artificial world inside Sin. His course was unfailingly strait--as if he knew where he was going. Perhaps he did. He'd been living with this other being for ten years; sharing the body might give him some perception of where it was. I would have to ask him later.  
  
We ran on, toward some goal only Jecht could see or feel. As we passed the edge of the illusory Zanarkand, I had to clamp down hard on panic. The odds were not good that we would get to Tidus before he was sent somewhere--anywhere--else. Or worse: killed.  
  
And my boy would be lost to me, along with everyone else who had ever mattered in my life.  
  
I slowed a bit when I realized the path my thoughts had taken. But he was my boy, though I hadn't helped give him life. I had helped shape it. He'd been my family, just as I'd been his.  
  
Picking my pace back up, I ran beside Jecht with a new determination. The monster that lived inside Sin was not going to hurt Tidus. It would not hurt our son.  
  
I managed to hang on to that determination until we found them.   
  
We both froze in our tracks at the sight that greeted us. The spider-being Jecht had been talking about--Yu Yevon some part of my mind supplied--was holding the boy precariously in two tentacles and floating just above a huge black hole in the ground.  
  
I went numb with realization. He's going to drop him, and there won't be anything I can do.  
  
Jecht held out a hand, almost as if he was going to beg the monster to put his son down.  
  
And then it didn't matter. Yu Yevon dropped Tidus into the hole, where he vanished from sight.  
  
"TIDUS!!!" The name was ripped from my throat, as the horror of what had happened dawned on me. It was like losing Braska all over again.  
  
I didn't even know that I'd charged the hole, intending to jump in until I felt Jecht's restraining arms around my waist. "Auron, don't! You won't help him that way!"  
  
I let him drag me away from the hole as Yu Yevon drifted off. With growing sorrow, I watched as the hole closed, sealing away my chance to possibly save the boy.  
  
"We'll find him, Auron." The Blitzer sounded more confident that I could believe. "We just have to go back and look for him. Yu Yevon didn't kill him. All he did was drop him somewhere. We've just got to go looking for him."  
  
The despair I was feeling, thinned a bit with his words. "Are you certain?"  
  
"Sure I'm sure. If he'd killed Tidus, he'd have left the body here, so that he could mock us. But he didn't. All he did was throw him out. So, we just go find him."  
  
His matter-of-factness brought a half-hearted chuckle out of me. "And that's it, huh? Find him, in all of Spira."  
  
"Sure. Shouldn't be too hard. You take the land, and I'll take the water. If I find him, I'll take him to Besaid. If you find him, you find Yuna, and hook up with her and get this thing over."  
  
I was fairly certain that his confidence was forced. He didn't want to think about our only real chance of bringing down Sin for good being lost somewhere in the vastness of Spira. We could search for years and not find him; not until it was too late to stop another Summoner from falling victim to the circle of death Spira was trapped in. But I let myself be pulled in by it. It was that, or give into the despair that threatened to drown me.  
  
"Fine. Drop me off as soon as you think its safe. I need to sleep off this headache."  
  
Jecht grinned. "Now there's the stiff I know and love."  
  
"Hmph." Cushioning my head on my good arm, I forced myself to sleep. 


	15. Chapter 15: Freezer Burn

A/N: Hi all! I had this fantastic idea this morning when I woke up. I thought to myself, what if I expanded Stories to include all the characters from FF10? That sounded like a lot of fun, and I wanted to deal with Rikku and Yuna's pasts more than the game does. I also realized that I wanted some Wakka/Lulu/Chappu interaction and discussion of their youths too. And just exactly how did Auron manage to get Kimahri to agree to take Yuna to Besaid? So, what I'm doing now is making each character(s)'s story into its own separate "branch" of the full deal that you can choose to read or not, tho reading them should make some things in the full piece make more sense later. It seems to make the title make more sense now too. So now, the piece that has, until today, been titled Stories is now going to be Stories: Auron and Tidus. Then there will be Stories: Rikku, Stories: Wakka and Lulu, and Stories: Yuna and Kimahri. Then, after everyone gets together in Luca, I'll have the whole thing tie together into one story called (I bet you'll never guess!) Stories. I think it will be a lot of fun, and i'm enjoying working on it already! Look for Rikku chapter one later tonight!  
  
oh, and before people start hate-mailing me, here's my BS about the waterbreathing thing: Firtst off, you cannot play a game as hard core like blitzball while holding your breath. Anyone who swims even a little will tell you this. And second, humans aren't equipped to hold their breath that long. so, i have decided that somewhere down the line, some scientist came up with a way to make people able to breath water and bred the train into the populace at large. By the time of Tidus' Zanarkand, more people had this trait than didn't. By Yuna's time, only the exceptionally rare genetic throwbacks did not have this trait. (that'll be important in another branch of the story) if you don't like this idea, sorry. but its the one i'm going with.

SILLY LEGAL DISCLAIMER: I only wish that i owned ffx, the characters in it or spira. but i don't. all i own are copies of final fantasy games 1-X2 and an auron wall scroll. its very sad. and so is the fact that i will never make any money off of this fic, because it is illegal for me to try and square-enix would sue the pants off of me.

* * *

TIDUS  
  
When I woke up, I was facedown in the water. Made me pretty glad I could breathe it. I didn't exactly cherish the idea of drowning.  
  
My first thought was to look for Auron, so I scanned my surroundings. To my left, ruins. To my right, more ruins. In front of me, the ruins of some huge building. Behind me, lots of ocean. No bright red coat anywhere. And everything was dark and grey--I'd have definitely seen it if he was there somewhere.  
  
I was alone.  
  
"Auron!" I hoped that maybe he was just out of my sight somewhere. Behind a crumbling pillar or something. But there was no answer.  
  
"Anybody!" Right then, I'd've been glad to see my old man.  
  
When no one answered, I started to swim toward what was left of the building. The water was freezing; if I didn't get out of it soon, I wouldn't need to be having nightmares about drowning. I'd die of hypothermia.  
  
Not that I was any better off when I got out of the water. The air in the entryway was just as cold as the water, and the inside of the building didn't show any promise of being warmer. I hoped I would find something in there that I could burn, but I wasn't going to get my hopes up. _I'm probably going to die here.  
_  
There was this elevated walkway that led into the building proper. I was beginning to think that this place was a temple or something, cause what was left was pretty fancy. Feeling a little nervous about the height--and the lack of security rails--I stepped out onto the walkway.  
  
I wasn't really surprised when the walkway dropped out from underneath me. A little, but not much at all. And I wasn't even afraid of the fiends that started leaping out of the water I landed in. I still had my old man's sword after all.  
  
I started to get worried, though, when the big fiend showed up and started attacking the little ones. He looked pretty nasty and I didn't think I'd be able to take him alone.  
  
So, I tried the next best idea--running away. But I didn't get very far before the thing caught up to me and attacked. I got in a couple of good shots before I managed to break away from it and swim like mad to a doorway I saw nearby.  
  
Nothing mattered at that moment but getting away from that fiend. Being alone didn't matter, losing Auron didn't matter, freezing to death didn't matter. I'd worry about all that once I got away. If I got away.  
  
As I got closer, I saw that what I thought was a doorway was actually too small for that. It was more like a small window. Sometime in the past, this place had sunk--a long way. For some reason, I wondered how many people had died here, and weather or not I would be one of them.  
  
The fiend, on the other hand, decided that I was probably going to get away. It lunged at me, in a last ditch effort to catch some dinner. It probably would have had me too, except that the force of the attack it used propelled me into the window, which was too small for the fiend. In anger, it slammed into the wall a couple of times, causing parts of the ceiling to fall down and block the portal.  
  
Things had gone from bad to worse. Now I was trapped in a freezing room, with no source of food, and no visible way out. _I really am going to die here. I wish Auron was here. No I don't. I hope he's safe somewhere warm with lots of food.  
  
And while I'm at it, why don't I hope that he's going to come rescue me_.

* * *

A/N 2: aaack! i know its really short. and i don't really like it, but i was trying to write it without my notes, cause i can't find 'em. and i didn't want to play through the game again if i didn't have to. but it looks like i'm going to need to, so that i can get the meeting with the al-bhed right. have your translators ready for the next couple of chapters kiddies! 


End file.
